


If You Stick With Us You’re Gonna Be Pretty Kooky Too

by bigbossretirebitch



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe, Characters Added As They Appear - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family, Kazuhira Miller dating sim, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, aRUBA JAMAICA OOH I WANNA TAKE YA, big Boss canonically believes in santa, big boss is more tolerable in this fic than he's ever been in game, christmas in august babey, frank jaeger falls out of a tree and dies, gray fox flirts with solid snake, gray fox harasses solid snake at dennys, gray fox harrasses solid snake in a communal shower, headcanon name for venom, incomprehensible timeline that may or may not be adjusted later, mentions of previous miscarriage, no beta we die like men, not really but his remaining dignity does, otacon is jewish, raiden and rose make me soft, sexual questioning ensues, some blood/violence in "reminiscence: float on", strangelove and joy are doting grandmothers and constantly spoil sunny, this is for my sake, wham is sacred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigbossretirebitch/pseuds/bigbossretirebitch
Summary: Basically I desperately craved a modern AU family fic with some of my fav ships so!!Title is a reference to Kooks by David Bowie. I’m making a Spotify playlist with referenced songs as they appear:https://open.spotify.com/user/protectn2k17/playlist/2r9LbVCW5ZS7PZ0WiiLRug?si=OzR8MxeUQwaPMCQq4BWO5g





	1. Dream A Little Dream of Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey sorry for the weird format! I wrote this in my phone notes haha. Also sorry for such a short chapter, this is just to set things up!!

“Damn,” V muttered out, slamming his fist onto the top of the car radio before choosing to plea with the device instead, “Please baby, work with me.”

 

”Language.” Kaz scolded. He peered behind his seat to find Sunny blissfully unaware of the foul language uttered from the driver’s seat, “besides, it’s a little too late to sweet talk the radio- you already hit it.”

 

V frowned as Quiet snickered from the back seat. Sunny snickered, too, even if she didn’t really know what she was snickering at. The least a child in her position could do was offer some help. Sunny cleared her throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the truck.

 

“U-Uncle V, I c-c-could help you f-fix it if you w-want.”

 

V smiled a genuine smile (a little teary-eyed, too, if you asked Quiet) before patting her on the head. Sunny giggled, reaching up to fix her hair.

 

“Well thank you very much, pumpkin! But it’s a short drive to your house, so I think I’ll let Hal take a look at it.” V said with a wink. Sunny nodded fervently which melted Kaz’s heart Only Just A Little.

 

“Hey Quiet,” the blond man in the front seat turned to face her. Quiet looked up from her book and hummed in response.

 

The truth was, Quiet really would have liked to have the front seat, but shit was he fast for a man with one leg.

 

Kaz pointed to the phone on her thigh and continued, “what was that app you used to play V’s playlist again?”

 

Quiet squinted and signed back, “Spotify?”

 

Kaz’s face lit up in recognition, “Yeah! Why don’t we use that until we get the radio fixed?”

 

Quiet gave a quick thumbs up and Venom cheered from the front. The silent brunette smiled and leaned towards Sunny pointing to her phone.

 

“What song?” She whispered.

 

Quiet was mostly mute after an Accident in Cyprus that usually goes unmentioned unless one of the two previous Commanders of Mother Base wanted to end up on the couch for the night. It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak, it was just that it was extremely painful for her. Of course, the power of modern medicine had prevailed and Quiet was properly fixed up and able to speak without wanting to rip her throat out. It was a choice now. She had gotten too used to signing and, quite honestly, Quiet thought it was kinda sexy to be the Silent Sniper.

 

V, of course, couldn’t care less if the two talked or didn’t talk; had limbs or didn’t have them. It was nice to have some semblance of a family aspect after what Big Boss had put them all through. V was jolted out of his thoughts by “Poison Arrow” by ABC blasting through the car.

 

Sunny giggled when V let out a comical gasp. He grinned ear to ear at that and started singing along in his Worst Singing Voice Possible (which also happened to be the loudest one). Kaz looked out the window a small smile hiding under his metal hand.

 

“Who broke my heart? YOU DID! YOU DID!- c’mon, Kaz, I know you know the lyrics. Sunny and I are just gonna get louder til you join in.”

 

Sunny laughed so hard her face turned red and, by the time they arrived at her home, she was thoroughly entertained. Kaz never joined in but V whispered to her as she was getting out of the truck that he would call her if Kaz hummed it later. Quiet walked around to the bed of the truck and grabbed all of Sunny’s belongings.

 

“O~Kay! Checklist time. Stand at attention, Private Sunny” V said in his very best mock military voice. He very rarely used his real military voice (unless for a joke) and never ever yelled at Sunny. Not in the sense that he was afraid to show her discipline, but in the sense that he was terrified of scaring her. He saw how on-edge even his regular boisterousness made her, so he refused to take any chances.

 

Quiet had a large smile on her face as she pulled Sunny’s overnight bag from the bed of the trunk. The small girl was shaking from the strain she put on herself to stand stick straight.

 

“Y-yes, sir!”

 

Despite her forced serious posture, Sunny was grinning and laughing as Kaz stood next to Quiet, glancing at all the items she pulled out of the trunk.

 

“Bag?”

 

“Check” Kaz confirmed, struggling to hide his own grin.

 

“Hm. And the extra snacks?” V questioned, winking at Sunny. Dave did not approve of Sunny eating tons of junk food. Hal was more of a “do as I say not as I do” type of person.

 

“Affirmative, Boss”

 

“Hmm,” V put a hand on his chin in feigned thought, “I’m missing something...”

 

Sunny cocked her head in confusion, still maintaining her salute. What could possibly be missing?

 

Sunny’s thoughts were interrupted by V exaggerating a gasp and making an “O” shape with his mouth.

 

“I know! A hug! I was missing a big bear hug!”

 

It was Sunny’s turn to gasp now and she ran into V’s arms for an enveloping hug.

 

“U-uncle V?” the young girl whispered intothe weathered man’s ear.

 

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

 

“I love you.”

 

V immediately looked up at Kaz, his breath hitching in his chest. Kaz looked near tears and V felt near tears. He sniffled and put a hand on the back of her head.

 

“I love you, too, kiddo.”

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Here Comes The Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i start school on monday hhhh.. if only i could do homework like i write fanfic

Sunny smelled Dave before she saw him. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke drifted through the air from the backyard. Hal wouldn't let Dave smoke inside and he  _absolutely wouldn't_ let Dave smoke on the porch, as he enjoyed sitting out there every evening with a nice cup of tea to relax and would prefer not to have all of his things reeking of nicotine. Dave had promised Sunny on her birthday last year that he would quit smoking. Ever the man of his word, Dave cut back on his cigarette intake significantly. Sunny just had trouble understanding how exactly addiction worked, so when she saw him smoke an occasional cigarette just to rid himself of "the shakes," she would scold him in her way that Dave just couldn't be mad at. Sunny appreciated his efforts nonetheless and would excitedly offer to help him apply his nicotine replacement patches every morning. Dave and Hal assumed that they were helping Sunny by adopting her, but the relationship soon turned into one of mutual benefit. Hal, in order to set a good example for Sunny, would adjust his sleep schedule when she was around; he would work less hours; and eat three meals a day. Dave would mind his temper around Sunny and got rid of the drinking habit that he had picked up after Zanzibar. Sunny  _loved_ to help others, especially Jack. He was a tough case, however, and it was taking Sunny longer than she would have liked to see any immediate effects.

The young girl scrunched her nose as she made her way up the driveway. The soft crunching of the gravel under her feet was almost rhythmic and reminded Sunny of the path leading to the lake by her grandfather's cabin. Grandpa John always tried to teach her to fish, but Sunny never caught anything. When she brought this point up to V he just smirked and said he'd teach her the right way eventually. Another set of footprints joined the mix and Sunny looked up from where she was carefully drawing a straight line with her feet.

Suddenly, the girl's face lit up in surprise, a huge smile gracing her soft cheeks, "D-Dave!"

Dave smiled back at his daughter, jumping over the fence to greet her. Sunny ran into his legs and Dave picked her up and swung her around in his arms.

"Hey, Sunny. You have a good time?"

"The b-best! I g-got to s-sleep with DD!"

The soldier gave her a kiss on the head and looked up at the remaining party watching in blissful silence. Dave set Sunny down and motioned everyone inside, giving Kaz a smirk when he noticed the shiny blue polish on his nails.

"Don't sass me, David, I know that a certain two soldiers were  _more than happy_ to let Catherine paint their nails when she asked," Kaz stated simply, glaring from under his aviators.

Dave only flashed a grin in response, not unlike Frank Jaeger's signature look. 

* * *

Sunny had only entered the threshold for five seconds before she was greeted by an onslaught of dogs. She giggled as they all knocked her to the floor and licked her face.

"Ew, Rex, don't lick her up the nostril. That's just an infection waiting to happen," Hal called as he walked over to the incapacitated toddler currently under Mt. Dogmore.

Sunny, under serious effort, was able to lift the huge pile of dogs off of her to hug her other father who smelled objectively better than Dave. Instead of smelling of smoke, cologne, and coffee; Hal smelled like old books and the nice shampoo her Aunt Emma had forced him to try out. Sunny inhaled Hal's sweater, trying to permeate the smell of home in her brain. 

Once the car radio was fixed, which didn't take long (to V's embarrassment,) Sunny sat down for lunch with her family. She had offered to cook some eggs for everyone, reasoning that she had gotten "r-really good" at it, but Hal had told her that he would just make some sandwiches for everyone and that Sunny could just "put her feet up." As she bit into her sandwich, Sunny wondered when Jack would ever come for lunch. She repeated her thoughts out loud and (to her annoyance) received only pitying smiles in return. Sunny huffed and turned to look at the photos carefully taped to the side of the fridge. When the new stainless steel fridge was bought, Dave made sure to point out to everyone that the front of the fridge was  _off limits_ , thus the sides of the fridge became like a Tetris game of photography. Various notes, pictures, and reminders were all clustered (albeit in an organized way) to the side of the fridge.

Sunny's favourite was a picture of her, her fathers, and Jack when they went to the zoo for her fifth birthday. Jack was smiling and holding Sunny while Dave and Hal made peace signs. Dave had put his peace sign behind Jacks head when he wasn't looking and made it look like he had bunny ears. Sunny never failed to giggle at that. She made a mental note to ask one of her fathers if she could call him later that night.

V, Kaz, and Quiet left after lunch, leaving Sunny happy, but exhausted. Her eyes drooped closed and she struggled to pay attention to any one thing for too long without yawning. Hal grabbed Sunny's hand and tucked her into her bed, laying a light blanket over her and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Her last thoughts before drifting off were of Jack and she missed him desperately.

 

 


	3. My Baby Takes The Morning Train

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like these chapters have been so short haha. I'll try to make this one at l ea s t 1k words!! Also I wanna do a flashback chapter for some of these characters eventually so I might just make those some filler chapters. Lemme know what characters you'd like to see next!

When the leaves had all fallen, leaving the air brisk and biting, Winter had left it's mark on the world. The ground was blanketed with snow and frost covered the roofs of houses. Giant icicles clung to the roof of their house and the roads were iced over. Hal thought that winter was a nuisance and only existed to make him suffer. Sunny thought it was marvelous.

Olga had never been able to raise Sunny as her own, but Dave did not miss how some of Olga's habits had amazingly been passed onto Sunny- such as her love of the cold. Hal nearly worked himself into a panic attack the first time he had realised that Sunny had gone out in the snow without  _any_ winter gear. Sunny had also inherited Olga's dry sense of humour, to which Dave (who was unable to take anything in a sense other than literal) was frequently confused with. Sarcasm had never been his strong suit. 

Sunny  _loved_ winter. Hal despised it. Dave was only mildly annoyed by his apparent ability to catch pneumonia more easily than  _any one_ Naomi had ever seen (which she constantly teased him about).

Winter brought Christmas and New Year's, which meant that Sunny got to see her entire family for one huge week-long celebration. It was the most exciting time of the year for her- aside from her birthday, of course. This year they were going up to her grandparents's house. Sunny had packed  _all_ of her movies to show to Grandpa John an entire  _week_ early. Evidently, she was very excited. David maybe less so.

"An entire week with your family?" Hal had teased, "I know how excited you are to see them, Dave. You  _love_ hanging out with your brothers."

"No I don't," the gruff man had replied, "you know I hate spending time with them. Sometimes I think you don't listen to me when I talk."

David  _really_ didn't understand sarcasm.

When the day they were to leave finally came about Sunny was practically bursting with excitement. She was a very good helper and put all of the bags in the trunk  _without_ her fathers's help. Even if Dave had to go back and fix them after Sunny had run in to get the dogs's carriers. 

"L-l-look, H-Hal! I c-can carry a-all th-three in o-ne g-go!" Sunny had yelled through the house. When Hal came into the kitchen to see her, Sunny had placed one carrier over her head and one on each arm. By the time he had finished laughing, Sunny had already run out the door to collect the dogs.

Dave watched from the driveway as she chased the dogs over to the car in astonished silence. Sunny truly was a weapon to surpass Metal Gear. 

* * *

"D-Dave," Sunny started, "wh-where are we h-headed f-first?"

"Jack's apartment. He's riding with us to Grandpa's."

Sunny gasped in excitement. Uncle Jack?! And that would mean that he was riding in the backseat with her! Christmas really was the best time of the year. Sunny practically bounced the entire way there. Uncle Jack was coming to spend time with her for an entire week. They would eat together, watch Christmas movies together, make cookies together, wrap presents together... the possibilities were endless! She wondered if Dave and Hal were whispering about how excited they were to see Jack, too. Dave had a grim face on, but Sunny just assumed it was his resting face. When they finally reached the apartment complex, Dave had to put his hand back to stop Sunny from shooting out of her seat. He opened his mouth to say something before Hal cut him off.

"Dave, look at Rose. They've been.. erm.. busy." Hal said, motioning to a smiling Raiden emerging from his apartment with Rose in tow.

It was an odd occurrence to see Raiden looking well-rested, and an even odder occurrence to see him with a fresh hair cut. It was off putting, to say the least. The couple looked happy as they walked toward the car with hands intertwined. Sunny couldn't figure out what Hal meant by "busy," though. Did he mean that she was busy helping Raiden?

"You're pregnant." Dave stated blankly as the car door opened. Sunny gasped.

"Hi, Dave," Raiden said, unamused.

Rose had a bashful look on her face as she slid in the back seat. Sunny gazed upon her in wonder like Rose was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.

"Hi, Jack, Hi, Rose," Hal greeted cheerily, "you're  _very_ pregnant."

Rose laughed quietly, "Yep. It's a boy, too. Just like the first."

Sunny cocked her head, "t-the first? Y-you have  _two_ b-babies?!"

Jack ruffled her hair with a sad look on his face, "No, sweetie, only one."

The car was filled with a sad silence before Hal cleared his throat, "I'm glad for you guys, and I know you two are gonna be great parents. Are you making Sam the godfather or what? Maybe George?"

Rose laughed out loud at that and Jack's expression soured. The platinum blond man's nose scrunched as far as it was able and Sunny thought that if he was a cartoon, steam would be blowing out of his ears.

"Absolutely not! The godparents are going to be someone we trust. Like..."

"J-Jesus!" Sunny cut in, trying to be helpful. Laughter filled the car and the crew began their trip.

Grandpa John's house was located in a woody area about 15 minutes from town. There was a large lake behind the house and a forest surrounding it. It was perfect for Sunny's adventures. One time, her Uncle Frank took her exploring in the woods and they pretended to be wild animals. They stayed out all day and only came inside when her grandmother called them for dinner. Afterwards, they all went swimming in the lake and Sunny pretended to be a mermaid. Sunny hoped that Uncle Frank would be there for Christmas. He always helped her prank Dave. 

Sunny was asleep against Raiden's arm when he softly shook her awake. He quietly explained to her that they had stopped to take a break for food. Sunny yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as Dave unbuckled her and helped her out of the car. The clock on Jack's phone said it was 6 o'clock. Sunny was sad that she wouldn't get to eat dinner at her grandparents's house but she grew excited at the prospect of being able to sleep at a hotel. Sleeping away from home was always exciting. Sunny grabbed Jack's and Rose's hands and skipped into the restaurant.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was weird, as most restaurants in the Midwest were, but Dave found it especially uncomfortable and instinctively gripped Hal's hand tighter. The engineer gave him a quick, confused look, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Solid Snake!" A loud voice cut Hal off before he could speak, "Guess they're just letting anyone in here. To be honest, I probably would've preferred the crackheads."

Ah.

"Now I know why I got a weird vibe from this place," Dave said, face splitting into a grin, "Gray Fox. How the hell are ya?"

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh just in case you were confused, Raiden and Rose had a miscarriage before this child. I know Rose never actually had a miscarriage in canon, but i thought it added to the drama of things lol. Just so you know: Sam, Courtney, and Kevin are probably gonna be the only revengeance characters mentioned in this fic bc I don't want Raiden to take a huge lead in this fic. Lemme know what you thought of this chapter!! sorry 4 the cliffhanger lol


	4. Reminiscence: Float On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is gonna be kinda short- i start school tmrw so i've been super busy getting ready for that haha. I might change my updating schedule because im doing APUSH this year but hopefully I can keep uploading every other day. Angst up ahead oof

Gray Fox eyed the new recruit inquisitively. He was a lanky thing to be in Foxhound. The hair was going to be an issue as well- a mess of fluffy brown strands. Frank scoffed to himself, voicing his doubts to the instructor next to him.

"He gonna be able to pull his own weight? No offense, but he looks more of a kid than a soldier. Not that I'm doubting your ability to choose the recruits."

Miller just smiled, "You'd be surprised. He's damn fast and he's got a good head on him."

At that, Miller walked away to yell at some soldiers goofing off across the room, his metal foot clanking on the floor as he stomped over. Frank grinned to himself- they didn't call him Hellmaster for nothing.

* * *

David scrubbed his hair vigorously, lathering the shampoo all over. He had just opened the bottle of body wash when the door opened and a couple of his comrades-in-arms who were previously sparring walked in. Dave wasn't sure what the social etiquette of communal showers was, so he just smiled a stiff smile and nodded his head in acknowledgement. One of them snickered in response. So, maybe there  _was_ no socializing in the showers. That was just fine by Dave as he wasn't a big talker anyway. Nope, nope, they were talking to each other. Loudly. Maybe Dave was just awkward, then. Great. Another wave of soldiers walked in and shouted to their other friends in recognition. To Dave's astonishment, one of them took the spot next to him.

"Hey, recruit," he said, flashing a tired smile,"how you likin' things?"

Dave shrugged, letting out a an exhale through his teeth, "It's alright. Today was only really an initiation anyway. I start the actual training tomorrow."

One of the soldiers in the back let out a sharp whistle, "Good luck, dude, Miller's a goddamn slave driver."

The room filled with laughter before the man next to Dave turned to him again. Dave desperately tried to keep his eyes above waist level. It didn't help that the man didn't even try to hide the fact that he was bemusedly checking Dave out. 

"So what name they give you? I'm Gray Fox," He popped open the shampoo pouring out an  _extremely_ small amount onto his palm, "Better than Osprey, not as cool as Barracuda."

"Machine Gunner!" Another soldier shot in enthusiastically and everyone laughed in response.

Dave cleared his throat, "I uh- I don't actually have one yet."

The room grew silent except for the sound of running water. Suddenly a door opened and Miller shuffled in, pulling his sunglasses off and reaching up to untie his hair. Miller stopped himself, noticing the stares.

"What?"

"How come the recruit doesn't have a code name, yet?" Gray Fox interrogated.

Miller scoffed in response, "That's what all this fuss is about? I don't know, Big Boss usually picks them," he pulled his shirt over his head, "Must just be busy."

Conversation gradually picked up again and Snake turned his head back to Fox who was scrubbing a dirty patch on his knee with a rough cloth.

"My real name's Dave.. if you.. y'know-"

"Cool, I'm Frank. You're kinda cute when you get flustered."

Miller loudly let out a fake gag and Frank winked. Maybe Dave could get used to being in Foxhound.

* * *

 

"Hit me, Snake! Don't forget your mission." Fox snarled, gasping for breath and licking the blood from his upper lip, "Kill me."

Snake let in a hiccuping breath, "I can't, Fox. Let me just.."

"Kill me! Do it, now!"

His hair was singed, his weapons in the other room. It was just them and their fists. 

"You were always my big rival, you know?" Frank grunted while dodging a kick, "I was waiting for the day that we'd fight."

"Fox!" Dave snarled, kicking the elder's leg out from under him, "I'll kick your twisted mind out of you!"

The battle was brutal and long. Both were bloodied and bruised. A fistfight to the death- how very like Frank. At last, Fox fell to the ground, wheezing and motioning for Dave to come closer. Snake leaned over the man he had once considered a friend, a fling, and a mentor. Blood streaked down his face like sweat. He coughed through the story of his woe, clutching Snake's shirt with shaking hands.

"Above all, I am loyal to Big Boss- the man who saved my life. You," he emphasized by poking a finger at Dave's chest, "must choose your loyalties. I was born on the battlefield and here I shall die." He paused and fell into a coughing fit, blood spattering onto Snake's chest. "Dying in action suits me. Maybe I should pass the Fox title onto you." 

"Fox," David strained, his emotions betraying him by the tears streaming down his cheeks that mingled with sweat and blood, "Why this?"

Fox shot his signature grin, "finish your mission, David. Do it for your number one fan..."

"Number one fan? You were-!" Snake cut himself off, noticing the stillness of Frank's chest. His last act of respect, David closed Frank's eyelids and marched off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> friendship ended with grey fox now otacon is my best friend


	5. Seabird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY ITS SO LATE!!! life destroyed me and school danced on my grave

Sunny smiled fondly as Naomi pushed the hair out of her face. As it turned out, Jack had planned this meetup as a surprise for Dave. Sunny loved surprises, so she wasn't upset that Jack didn't tell her.

"Sunny," Naomi asked, "have you done anything exciting lately? I feel like I haven't seen you in a long time." Hal took note of the somber smile on her face.

Sunny nodded vigorously and began chattering away to Naomi. Hal watched them talk with a pain in his chest. It really  _had_ been a long time. It wasn't either of their faults; things were just too awkward after that mission. Naomi and Sunny carried on with their conversation naturally, almost like family. 

Family was a funny word. Sunny, Dave, and Hal were family because they adopted Sunny. But, on the same coin, Jack and Rose were also family even though they weren't related. Naomi wasn't a sister to Sunny, but maybe she was more than an aunt. Family was always tricky to Sunny.

Sunny's sharp eyes were something she had inherited from Olga as well. The light would glint off of them when she was mad; when she was happy they would gleam; and when she was sad, the pools of tears under her eyes shone so magnificently. Hal had never met Sunny's biological father, so he couldn't tell what traits Sunny got from him, but she was definitely Olga's daughter. Her fighting spirit that rose so magnificently whenever faced with an injustice, mirrored that of her mother so well. Hal was cut off from his wandering thoughts by Dave grabbing his shoulder and asking where the keys were.

"The keys?" Hal questioned, patting down his pockets, "I thought you had 'em. I don't have them."

Dave blanched.

"Oh for the love of-" Jack groaned loudly, " _Please_ tell me you didn't lock them in the car."

As it turned out, they could  _not_ tell him that. Ten minutes later and Frank teaching Sunny how to pick a lock and they were back on the road. The dogs had enjoyed their time outside and were now thoroughly tired out. Sunny  _insisted_ that she wasn't tired not even 15 minutes before she fell asleep with her head on Rose's lap. When she opened her eyes, the road was bumpy. Through half-closed eyes Sunny blearily made out the time on the clock.  _11:23_. It was waaay past her bed time. Slowly, she sat up and took in her surroundings. Jack was awake, reading a book; Hal and Rose were both asleep; and Dave was softly humming as he drove. Ray leaned his fluffy head over the backseat to give Sunny a kiss right on the nose. She giggled softly and patted his head. Dave smiled from the drivers seat.  

Up ahead, the dirty country road led to the secluded stone road to her grandparents's house. Sunny gasped in excitement as they passed the lake. It was completely frozen!

"D-Dave, c-can I s-s-skate on the lake l-like in the m-movies?" she asked, poking her head next to Dave's. He smiled as he pushed her back into her seat.

"We'll see. 'S probably too thin." 

"We'll see" was good enough for Sunny and her mind raced with thoughts of ice skating with her family. This Christmas was going to be special. As they pulled into the driveway, Hal woke up and loudly cracked his joints. Dave's nose scrunched up at the sound. Naomi's car was already there, as well as V's truck, and Uncle George's nice new car. Dave jokingly warned Sunny not to breathe too close to his brother's car so Sunny held in as much breath as she could in puffed cheeks. Already, they could smell food cooking from the garage. Sunny was excited, but remembered to stay quiet in case anyone was sleeping. Her breath hitched in her throat as the door opened before she could grab the handle. Uncle Adam was standing in the doorway with a garbage bag in hand. He seemed surprised for a second before a grin split his face.

"Oh my, Sunny! Look how you've grown!" Adam laughed, motioning for them to go inside.

Grandpa John was sitting at the table with Frank, both of whom turned their heads when Adam started his greeting. Grandpa John smiled softly and Sunny _knew_ that this would be a good Christmas.

 


	6. Stephanie Says

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I project my love for frank jaeger onto sunny  
>  i put stephanie says as the title because it was a cute soft song, but love me tender by elvis is a good one for this chapter too.

Though she'd slept for a long time in the car, Sunny found it extremely easy to relax in between her two parents, covered in blankets, watching the gentle snowfall. Uncle Adam had made up the room for them earlier in the day so all they had to do was fall into bed. Sunny tried to stay awake and talk with her Grandpa, but Dave insisted that she get her "beauty rest." She tried to pay attention to the sound of the snow gently falling against the window. Sunny briefly wondered if the dogs were warm enough. The young girl turned to face Hal to ask him before realising that he was fast asleep. Darn. As softly as she could, Sunny slid out of bed, as to not wake her parents. She shuddered and grimaced when her bare feet hit the cold floor. She made a mental note to wear her slippers tomorrow.

It was already 12:30 but Sunny heard noise from the kitchen and the living room. Sunny snorted to herself as she recalled Dave's earlier comment about beauty sleep. If Grandpa didn't sleep, how could he be beautiful. The girl padded her way down the hall, already getting used to the cold wood flooring. Which room were the dogs in, again? She peered in each open doorway as she walked down, but to no avail. Giving up, she sighed and decided to just ask whoever was up. Suddenly, as Sunny turned the corner, she ran right into someone's legs, falling flat on her backside.

"Woah there, young lady," the "someone" said, leaning down to help her, "Are you okay, Sunny?"

Sunny glanced up and met striking blue eyes- the eyes of her grandmother. She gasped loudly and jumped up for a constricting hug. Grandma Joy laughed softly and picked her up.

"Look how big you've grown! You just turned 22, right, Sunny?"

"N-no Grandm-ma I'm f-f-five!" Sunny giggled and placed her hands on her grandmother's cheeks.

"Five?" Joy asked incredulously, "You need to stop growing- I'm old enough."

The two laughed together and Sunny leaned her head against her grandmother's shoulder. She heard talking from the kitchen and distantly recognized Uncle Adam speaking with Joy's partner and Hal's mother who was affectionately referred to as Strangelove. So, almost everyone was here, then. Sunny kissed her grandmother on the cheek before informing her of her mission. She set her down and told her that the dogs were in the living room with V before kissing Sunny on the head and going to get ready for bed. Sunny nodded seriously and stamped down the hallway to continue on her mission from God. The wooden floors eventually turned into carpet as she turned into the living room where V, Frank, and Grandpa John were sitting on the couches watching some football game. The conversation grew silent when Sunny walked into the room. 

"Sunny," Grandpa started in his stern voice, "shouldn't you be asleep? Its late."

She sheepishly glanced at her feet and walked over to the couch, "I w-wanted t-to make s-sure the d-dogs were w-warm."

Frank grinned and patted his legs, "Aww don't worry 'bout those little guys, they live for the cold. They're probably in Heaven right now." 

She giggled and sat on Frank's lap. He absentmindedly carded his shaking hands through her hair. Sunny once asked him why he shook all the time, handing him her best blanket and asking if he was cold. He just chuckled and told her that he'd tell her someday. Dave told her it was because of the bad people- that they took him and they hurt him, but it was okay because he was safe now. Sunny didn't push it. Sunny hated the bad people. They took her and took her mom. V stepped out and returned with a cup of chocolate milk, winking as he handed it to her. Uncle Adam joined them soon after and covered Sunny with a knit blanket that was probably older than her fathers. It smelled vaguely of cigarette smoke, fabric softener, and a particular home-y scent that she could never pinpoint. The soft chatter of the TV, Frank's hands in her hair, and the warmth of the blanket was enough to put her to sleep.

Sunny woke up to the smell of breakfast. Frank had, evidently, not moved last night, so as not to disturb her. She was tucked against his chest, the blanket moved to cover the both of them (probably by Adam). Frank was still sleeping so Sunny moved quietly into the kitchen. It was 6 am, so Sunny didn't expect that many people to be awake. George was sitting at the table reading some papers while Kaz was helping Grandma Eva with breakfast. George looked up from his papers once he realised that Sunny was up. He smiled softly.

"Hello, Sunny, nice to finally see you again."

Sunny smiled shyly. She very rarely saw Uncle George, so she didn't know him very well. Grandma Eva gasped lightly and rushed over to hug her. Sunny always liked how Grandma Eva smelled- like perfume and hair product. Sunny skipped over to say good morning to Uncle Kaz, too. He ruffled her hair and handed her a bag of treats for the dogs, telling her that she could go feed them if she wanted.

Sunny skipped over to the back door and saw that her grandfather was sitting on the back porch smoking while watching the dogs run around the spacious backyard. Grandma Eva helped her get bundled up. The dogs all ran over to her when Sunny entered the yard, knowing full well what was in the bag. Grandpa John laughed as the dogs all nudged her for their treat. Sunny always giggled when they licked it out of her hand. Once the dogs were all fed, Sunny sat next to her grandfather and leaned against his side as he put his arm over her shoulder. His cigars always smelled like memories to Sunny. They weren't as bad as cigarettes and they always smelled like the woods. Grandpa didn't say a lot, and Kaz did  _not_ seem to like him at all, but Sunny liked it like that. The silence was good. Sunny thought that Grandpa saved his words for the right thing. The close silence they shared while watching old movies was just as good as a conversation to Sunny. He often shared survival tips with her and random trivia. She learned that the Tsuchinoko wasn't a myth and didn't even taste that good despite being so rare. Eventually, Uncle Adam joined them outside. Sunny held his hand as she sat between the two of them, swinging slowly on the bench. Sunny thought that Uncle Adam's interactions with Grandpa John were so radically different from her interactions with him. His face softened, his one blue eye glimmering. Sunny felt that all of the love in the whole entire universe was in Uncle Adam's eyes when he looked at Grandpa John. Dave and Hal shared the same look often. 

Grandpa John, Grandma Eva, and Uncle Adam were just like V, Kaz, and Quiet. When Sunny had once asked how they were all together Hal had simply answered that they just had a lot of love to share. That was good enough for her.


	7. It's Now or Never

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this update took forever i got super busy lol. more christmas ensues!!

The sweet smell of cookies filled the house and the sound of Christmas music played faintly form the kitchen. Sunny was elbow deep in flour, dough, and frosting. She didn’t mind, though. Sunny enjoyed spending time with her family and cooking was her biggest strong suit. This was an opportunity to broaden her pallette and learn to cook more than eggs. Rose was teaching Sunny the perfect cookie frosting technique.

“Just dip it right in your bowl! Make sure it drips all the excess off first.”

Sunny smiled and carefully placed the Christmas tree shaped cookie into a bowl of neon green frosting. Kaz was whistling softly along to the music from the dining room where he was hanging decorations. The atmosphere in the house was warm. Not warm in the sense that the temperature was hot, but in the happy sense. It was joyful and made Sunny’s heart feel warm. She had just begun drizzling frosting garlands on her cookies when a loud bang on the door startled her into almost dropping her cookie. 

“Open up, it’s bloody cold outside!”

Dave scoffed and rolled his eyes, setting down a dish towel and walking to the door. A disgruntled and snow-covered Eli burst through the door with an unbothered Mantis trailing behind. The dogs rushed to greet the pair and almost knocked Dave over in the process. Grandma Eva had a small smile on her face as she put her tray on the counter and made her way to the door, wrapping her son in a hug. The kitchen filled with people as everyone greeted one another. Sunny noticed Mantis standing toward the wall, so she edged her way over.

“H-hi”

“Hi. I always forget you have a stutter.”

Sunny smiled and pointed to his face, “a-and I al-alway f-f-forget you h-have m-marks.”

The redhead snorted and adjusted his face mask. Sunny thought his mask was cool. It looked like one of the masks she had to wear when Jack saved her. It protected her from germs. Mantis’s mask protected him from other people. It seemed like an eternity before Sunny caught her name among jumbled conversation. She tilted her head up to see who was calling her. Eli stood with his hand outstretched, smiling down at her. Eli looked almost exactly like Dave. They had the same face but a different skin tone and different hair. Sunny thought that Eli’s eyes were sharper, too. He pulled her up into a hug and spun her around while she giggled wildly.

“I m-missed you a l-lot!” Sunny exclaimed, grabbing her uncle’s face with both hands, “You n-need to v-v-visit m-more!”

Eli grinned as he set her on his hip, “bet I missed you more.”

Sunny stuck out her tongue and Eli laughed in response, setting her down next to him. Sunny liked listening to her uncle interact with her father. Uncle Eli and Dave were always bickering. It was kinda funny to listen to, though, and they always patched things up between themselves afterwards. Sunny wondered if she and Jack’s baby would be like that someday.

Once all the guests were greeted, everyone set off on making themselves busy with Christmas preparations. By the time dinner rolled around, Sunny was thoroughly exhausted. They had ordered pizza for dinner tonight, but no one minded too much. Dave claimed he was saving his ‘pallette’ for the big dinners coming up and Hal retorted by telling him that Dave could probably eat the huge Christmas dinner every day. Dave didn’t argue with that.

This time, as Sunny lay in between her parents, focusing on their deep breathing, she had no struggle falling asleep. Today was big, but the next few days would be even bigger. Sunny smiled as Dave unconsciously put his arm over the two in his sleep before she drifted into a slumber of her own.


	8. Last Christmas by Wham!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas continues! this one is a bit longer to make up for me being horrible and not updating lol. the og title was "Oh! You Pretty Things" but I changed it bc Christmas and wham is sacred

The forest surrounding the lake was Sunny’s favourite part of her grandparents’s house. She often ventured through it when she was bored and was looking for something to do. The only rule was that she wasn’t allowed to go too far and she had to bring someone with her. Fastening her coat up, Sunny made her way towards her father to request his supervision.

“Sorry, Sunny, I’ve got my hands full over here,” Dave said apologetically, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck, “Why don’t you ask one of your uncles? I think George is free…”

Sunny shook her head, her bangs flipping wildly, “N-no, he’s helping G-Grandm-ma with the t-tree.”

“I’ll take you out.”

The young girl whipped her head around to see her Grandpa John finishing off his coffee. Grandpa John had been out hunting with Quiet all morning and still had his work boots on. Grandma had scolded him earlier to remove them while in the house, but Grandpa didn’t really listen to anyone. Sunny liked the idea of going into the woods with her grandfather, as no one knew that area as well as he did. She wondered with excitement about all the secret spots that _only_ Grandpa John knew about. What if there was a secret cave, or a secret waterfall?!

“Y-yes! Th-thank you Grandp-pa!”

Dave smiled and turned back to the stove. Grandpa John helped Sunny with her gloves and hat- pulling the latter very _snugly_ over her ears- and they headed off towards the door.

“Kaz,” John said suddenly, “You coming?”

Sunny looked up expectantly. There was an awkward silence as the man at the table mulled the offer over. Sunny gave her cutest dinner plate eyes and pouted her lips in a gentle persuasion. Finally, a sigh.

“Guess I’ve got no choice, huh?”

Sunny grinned and pumped her fist into the air. Kaz put up one finger in a universal sign for “one moment” and Sunny bounced excitedly as he went to grab his coat. John chuckled as he watched her practically burst from excitement. The young girl already had her hand on the door handle when Kaz walked over to her and the second he got close enough she pushed the handle down and burst out the door. The cold air hit her lungs the second she took a breath in and it felt _invigorating._ It was cold outside, but there wasn’t a lot of snow on the ground. Jack told her earlier that it was because the snow was melting as it touched the grass and that it wasn’t cold enough to freeze.

“ _Still cold enough for a coat,”_ Hal made sure to cut in, knowing that she would never wear one if he didn’t remind her. This was a common enough argument in their household that Dave had rolled his eyes when he heard it as if to say “this again?”

It was just cold enough that the ground crunched when it was walked on. Soft, fat snowflakes were falling gradually and beginning to pile up on the ground. Sunny hoped there would be a lot of snow for tomorrow. Waking up to a snow-covered world on Christmas morning was one of Sunny’s favourite parts of the holiday.

“Y’know,” Kaz started, “They say if you follow a set of tracks in the forest, you’ll find something secret.”

Sunny turned around slowly with a look of awe on her face, “S-secret?”

The corner of John’s lip curled as Kaz continued, “Oh yeah. Secret places left by invisible beings. It’s their home, though, so you have to be respectful.”

“H-how?” Sunny quirked her head, “Th-that doesn’t seem v-very scient- scientific.”

This time, John cut in, “Nah it’s not scientific, it’s spiritual. Like, ghosts ‘n stuff.”

“G-ghosts?” Sunny asked with widened eyes, “B-but ghosts a-arent real!”

 Kaz grinned and looked up at John, “As real as you or me. You’ll hurt their feelings like that.”

Sunny looked up at him with squinted eyes and brows raised in confusion. Dave never talked about ghosts and Hal believed in them, but Sunny had never really believed either way. Of course, all her library books said that they weren’t real, so Sunny had stuck with the books for her opinion. Deciding against furthering the conversation, the pale haired girl began to look for tracks. She tried hard not to make it obvious how excited she was. Secretly, Sunny wanted ghosts to be real. The idea fascinated her. Suddenly, there was a rustle. Sunny whipped her head up to find the source of the sound.

“Is it a g-ghost?”

Grandpa John’s expression was unreadable.

“It’s probably just a deer, right, John?” Kaz said sheepishly. No response.

“John?”

John still did not respond, but started heading towards a section of trees. He aimed a swift kick at the base of the tree. In an instant, Frank Jaeger was falling out of the tree with a shout.

“God damnit, Jaeger, why are you in the tree?” Kaz groaned, holding his face with his hand.

Frank grinned as he slowly stood up, rubbing his shoulder, “I wanted to scare you.”

“You did a pretty bad job, then.” John grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, “I saw you pretty quickly. You should’ve picked a sturdier branch; I could see it bending under the stress.”

Frank pouted then looked down at Sunny, “Were you scared, Sunny?”

Sunny dramatically rolled her eyes, “N-no. L-like Grandpa s-said I s-saw y-you from a m- mile away.”

Everyone laughed out loud at that and Sunny struggled to hide her smile. The group was out there for a few hours before Eva called everyone inside to get cleaned up. Sunny didn’t find any “ghosts” or secrets- to her dismay- but she did play forest ranger. The thought of Frank pretending to be eaten by Grandpa John- who was a very unenthusiastic bear- still made her giggle to think about. Eva ushered them all in the door, pulling Frank and John in by the ears. Grandma Joy had bought Sunny her dress for church this year claiming that it was important to look presentable and that she “wouldn’t get anywhere with Dave dressing her.” Which was a fair point, but it still made Dave pout. Grandma Eva helped Sunny do her hair and put the new hair clips that Grandma Strangelove got her into her hair intricately, as if she was a surgeon. Sunny noticed that Dave had the same amount of focus and concentration and wondered offhand if he had inherited it from Eva.

“Your hair is so soft, Sunny, you really are lucky.” Naomi cooed, watching Eva do the young girl’s hair.

Sunny smiled in return, “Y-your h-hair is soft, too. It’s v-very pretty.”

Naomi smiled back at the girl. Sunny liked it when Naomi smiled; it made her eyes look less sad.

The whole family was not coming to the church for Christmas Eve, which made saving seats a little easier. Hal offered to stay home and help set up for dinner because he didn’t celebrate Christmas. Sunny didn’t mind, though, because that meant that she got Christmas _and_ Hanukkah gifts. Dave was humming along to a Christmas song on the radio. Uncle V told Sunny that this song was sacred because it was a Wham song. She didn’t even know what a Wham song even _was_. The church they were going to was really old, so Dave told Sunny she had to be respectful.

“Like you have to worry about that,” Jack scoffed, “She’s a good kid.” He glanced up at Rose and smiled softly. “Maybe…ours will be like that too.”

Rose looked at Jack with the same look Uncle Adam always gave to Grandpa John when they sat close, their arms brushing and fingertips grazing; the one Dave gave to Hal when he pulled him into his arms during a loud storm or when fireworks were going off, putting something mindless on to distract him; the same look Aunt Meryl gave to Uncle Johnny when he said something unbelievably dorky; and the same look they all gave her. Sunny loved that look.

 


	9. (Reminiscence) Kokomo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long lol I've been super busy. plus I feel a lil like no one reads this any more. anyway- I love kokomo and the chapter title is def from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CtDIbYiOG8

Sounds of bright, heavy laughter could be heard from the dock where Kaz was currently sitting on, his feet brushing the water. The drink to his left was long empty. Normally, he would have been immersed in the party by now, a drink in his hand and a woman at his side. It was Christmas Eve, after all, which was one of MSFs biggest celebrations. All the soldiers were brought back from deployment missions and the Sandinistas had brought over some food and beer as thanks for all the help. Amanda was especially popular for her impressive drinking abilities. Some said her record speed rivaled even Big Boss. Of course, having Cecille as a cheerleader definitely helped.

“You’re alone.”

Kaz looked up at the voice and smiled, “Excellent observation, Boss.”

“Thank you,” Snake said as he sat down next to the blond man. Kaz struggled to keep a straight face. He always forgot how literally Snake took things. Snake handed him a beer and Kaz gave him a quick thanks.

“Why are you alone? Usually you’ve got someone in your pants by now,” Snake chuckled, “I’m surprised that you aren’t in there drinking like a horse.”

Kaz quirked an eyebrow at that, but chose not to question Big Boss’s choice of prose, “Nah, I’m just kind of burned out from this week. Besides, I’ve never been a big Christmas person.”

His Boss’s stare burned into his eyes, “So you aren’t busy?”

“I...” Kaz quizzically started, “guess not? Why- “

“Perfect. Help me set up traps for Santa.”

Kaz immediately burst into hysterical laughter, “Oh man, Boss! You got me. I swear, I thought you were serious. Thanks for the laugh- “

Big Boss was not laughing. Big Boss was completely serious. _Big Boss wanted Kaz to help him capture Santa._ Not enough beer in the world could have prepared him for this moment.

“You’re…serious.”

“I’m always serious, Kaz. I would never joke about Santa.”

It was suddenly very, _horrifyingly_ , clear to Kaz that Snake was, in fact, _not_ joking. It also occurred to Kaz that Big Boss was completely sober.

“Santa isn’t…real, Snake.” Kaz forced out, “I can’t really catch something that isn’t…uh…real?”

Snake’s expression immediately darkened, “Then who brings the presents, Kaz?! Who eats the cookies and drinks the milk?!”

“Boss-“

“No, Kaz,” Snake turned, “Maybe I was wrong about you.”

“Wh- Snake!” Kaz stood up quickly, “You’re acting crazy! Let me just-“

Oh God. He was really doing this. Kaz pinched the bridge of his nose, “Fine. Let’s do it.”

Walking into an empty control hangar to set traps was the last thing Kaz had expected to be doing on Christmas, but this was his life now apparently. He had earned some looks from several soldiers as he carried the equipment across the decks, which was _fantastic_ for his image with new recruits- not that they thought he was all that tough to begin with, but _still_ \- not great.

“Hrmm… no, Santa’s too smart to get caught in that. Kaz, you need to camouflage it better.” Jack grumbled. Just then, the sound of heels tapping against the floor could be heard.

“Camouflage what, exactly?”

Kaz turned to meet Dr. Strangelove who was staring quizzically at the equipment lying in a pile on the floor. She seemed frustrated by the fact that it was so carelessly flung onto the harsh metal floor of the hangar. Clicking her tongue in disgust, Strangelove picked one of the items on top of the pile up and brushed it off.

“Catching Santa,” Snake said without looking up, “You going to help?”

She seemed caught off guard at that, which Kaz pitied (really, he did), if her raised eyebrows and startled sputtering was any indication.

“You- Father Christmas? He’s…” the doctor stopped herself once she noticed the grim expression on Snake’s face, “You’re serious…?”

Kaz gave her an expressionless look, “Yes.”

And the poor medic, the poor _innocent_ medic, chose that moment to walk in the room. He had something of a crush on a certain blond commander and had decided to check on him after realizing he had been absent from the staff holiday party.

“You,” Snake commanded, pointing at him, “come help Miller lay traps. Strangelove can put down the tracking devices.”

The medic just gave a startled salute and quickly walked over to Kaz. The medic looked up at Kaz with (startlingly blue) eyes curved into an amused expression.

“What are we doing here?” the man whispered, not really trying to hide his smile.

“Catching Santa- don’t ask.”

The medic nodded and laughed in response. Kaz noticed that he had a sticky note name tag stuck to his white t-shirt. It read “Vincent” in messy handwriting. On a whim, he pulled the name tag off of the medic’s shirt and placed it on his own forehead. A flush appeared on the man’s face, but he didn’t say anything.

“So, Bear-“

“It’s Vincent, commander,” he cut in, “You have the name tag on your shirt.”

Kaz grinned, pulling a pen from his pocket, “then _you_ can call me Kaz, V.”

Vincent cocked an eyebrow at the nickname and opened his mouth to respond before getting cut off by a gruff voice.

“I hear a lot of talking and not a lot of working.”

“Didn’t know arguing with Strangelove counted as working, Snake.” Kaz retorted, jutting out his hip.

Snake grumbled and turned back to meticulously laying down a trail of snacks. The medic was smiling at the bickering when he felt a hand in his back pocket. Jumping slightly, he turned around to see Kaz wink at him then walk over to converse with Strangelove. Vincent reached into the pocket to find his name tag with a number written on it. Swiftly, he folded it up and shoved it back into his pocket. The sounds of the party echoed through the room and it all felt very cinematic. The light Costa Rican breeze made the air feel lighter, somehow, and the sound of Kaz’s boisterous laughter filled Vincent’s ears and heart. Maybe when they finished Kaz would go have a drink with him.

 

 


End file.
